Quick connect and quick disconnect systems, also referred to as coupler systems, are widely utilized in wide variety of industrial, household, medical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and commercial applications. One application for coupler systems are for garden and lawn use. Another application for coupler systems is for automotive nozzles and hoses for fuel delivery, such as gasoline and other petroleum-based products. Yet another application for coupler systems is for vacuum cleaners, power tools, or other devices for collecting debris or dispensing fluid. Fluids, such as beverages, fuels, liquid chemicals, fluid food products, gases, water, and air are also frequently delivered from one vessel to another through a fluid system.
Coupler systems typically include a first connector and a second connector. The first connector is typically associated with a fluid device and the second connector is typically associated with a fluid conductor. For example, a coupler system is configured for use with a fluid device provided as a water spray nozzle and a fluid conductor provided as a hose. The first connector is connected to the spray nozzle and the second connector is connected to the hose. The coupler system simplifies connecting and disconnecting the spray nozzle from the hose, as described below, with reference to a typical connection of a spray nozzle to a hose.
The typical hose includes an internally threaded end portion that is connected to a spigot and an opposite externally threaded end portion to which fluid devices are connectable. To connect a typical spray nozzle to the externally threaded end portion, first the user stops the flow of water through the hose. Next, the user aligns connection threads of the spray nozzle with threads of the externally threaded end portion of the hose. Then the user repeatedly rotates the spray nozzle relative to the hose to mechanically and to fluidly connect the spray nozzle to the hose. Some users require a separate hand tool, such as a wrench, to rotate the spray nozzle or to stabilize the hose during the rotation of the spray nozzle. Hoses available in Europe typically do not require a threaded feature or a barb feature. Instead, the connector is mechanically connected to the hose or the fluid system using a compression fitting method. Of course, other forms of fittings are possible.
The above described process is inconvenient since the supply of water through the hose is stopped before connection of the spray nozzle is made. Second, the process requires sufficient strength and dexterity to rotate the spray nozzle. Third, the connection of the spray nozzle to the hose is subject to leaking.
Coupler systems seek to simplify the above described process by making connection of the spray nozzle to the hose fast and easy. Coupler systems typically include a male connector and a female connector one of which includes a locking feature. To connect the connectors, the male connector is received by the female connector and the locking feature is engaged. To disconnect the connectors, the locking feature is disengaged and the male connector is separated from the female connector. The structure of the male connector and the female connector, as well as the method of operating the locking feature, varies between different models of coupler systems.
Even though coupler systems seek to simplify connection of a fluid device to a fluid conductor, coupler systems typically suffer from numerous problems. First, some coupler systems include a locking feature that is difficult disengage, especially when the fluid in the fluid conductor is under pressure. For example, conventional quick connector products having a shut off feature require significant force to overcome line pressure, thus becoming an issue to the user using the product. Second, some coupler systems are quick to connect and to disconnect, but are prone to leaking. Third, some coupler systems are expensive and time consuming to manufacture. Accordingly, the time savings provided by some coupler systems are at a cost of being difficult to disengage, leaky, and expensive.
In some coupler systems, when the male connector is disconnected from the female connector a burst of pressurized water is expelled from the female connector before a valve in the female connector terminates the flow of water therethrough. The burst of pressurized water is especially prevalent when the fluid conductor and the fluid device are partially filled with air. The burst of pressurized water is typically only a minor inconvenience; however, some users desire a coupler system that is not prone to leaky during the disconnection process.
In addition to being able to quickly connect and disconnect a fluid device from a fluid conductor, some users desire the ability to control the flow of the fluid through the fluid device. For this reason manufactures have developed adjustable valves, which are placed in series with the fluid device and the fluid conductor. The adjustable valve is typically moveable between a position of low fluid flow and a position of high fluid flow. These types of adjustable valves work well for controlling fluid flow; however, the typical adjustable valve is not usable in combination with the typical coupler system. Additionally, even if the adjustable valve is usable with the coupler system it typically results in a cumbersome collection of components that is subject to leaking.
For at least the above-described reasons, further developments in the area of quick connect and quick disconnect systems for fluid systems are desirable.